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Renville County depending on optimism and perseverance in Class B Independent State Tournament

Jimmy Lafakis/MDN Renville County head coach Bart Savelkoul (left) chats with pitcher /infielder Joe Savelkoul (right) at third base during a game earlier this season. The Muskrats will face Thompson at approximately 3 p.m. this afternoon in the Class B Independent State Tournament at Corbett Field.

LANSFORD — As Renville County baseball players gathered at Richardson Field before Wednesday evening’s practice, Muskrats head coach Bart Savelkoul did a double take. The eager Muskrats, yearning for another chance to bond, arrived half an hour before practice began.

“Last year, that wouldn’t be the case,” Savelkoul said with a laugh.

Those buoyant attitudes across Renville County have helped the Muskrats achieve a 28-9 record this season. Although the COVID-19 pandemic generated uncertainty for their campaign, the Muskrats remained gleeful throughout the sweltering summer.

“We’ve got 15 kids on the roster,” Savelkoul said. “I’m thinking that after this year, we might have 15 say that baseball is their favorite sport. In a weird way, a bad thing around here turned into a good thing.”

The Muskrats endured a peculiar District 2 Tournament. Due to field conditions, the games were moved from Stanley to Velva.

After changing sites, Renville County earned a 2-1 victory over Surrey in a nine-inning state qualifier game. Garrison claimed a 4-2 win over the Muskrats in the championship.

The eccentric tournament reaffirmed a common motif — regardless of the circumstances, postseason play demands a team’s utmost efforts.

“You’ve always got to be playing at your best,” pitcher/infielder Dalton Moberg said. “You don’t really get a second chance, so you know you’ve got to be on top of your game.”

The state tournament’s proximity to Renville County gives the Muskrats a logistical advantage. Additionally, the team is familiar with the Corbett turf.

“We’ve kind of got a home-field thing where we can sleep in our beds,” Savelkoul said. “We’re not going to have as many distractions as the guys traveling. We’ve been there and had those distractions. I would gladly just get up and play baseball. That’s what we’re going to get a chance to do, and I’m looking forward to that more than anything.”

When he constructs the lineups, Savelkoul sees depth across the board. Equipped with several interchangeable pieces, he maintains a high level of faith in the squad’s offense.

“One through nine, I don’t think we really give a lot of easy outs to other teams,” Savelkoul said. “Nobody can really say, ‘Hey, we’ve got a couple of easy batters here. Let’s pitch around them.’ One through nine, we can put out a pretty solid team.”

Always a threat to provide productivity, Corbin Hall holds a .468 on-base percentage. While he gazed onto Richardson Field, Hall acknowledged the elder Muskrats who laid the foundation for him and his teammates.

“I like it when older players who played way before I was even playing baseball come up to me and say how good we are,” he said. “They say that they love seeing us playing. It just means a lot to me when they say that to us.”

Brock Depute, Joe Savelkoul, Jalyn Derr and Moberg toss a majority of innings on the mound. In June, Depute recorded a complete-game shutout against Garrison in Lansford.

Also included in the deep pitching staff is do-it-all utility player Henry Savelkoul, who offered insight into the Muskrats’ mindsets.

“Whatever happens, we just keep on grinding it out,” he said. “Even if it’s bouncing the wrong way, never give up. Just keep going at it. Don’t back down from any challenge.”

Renville County will meet Thompson at approximately 3 p.m. this afternoon at Corbett Field.

Jimmy Lafakis covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JJLII30.

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